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I find that it winter I have to use lip balm a lot, however this year I have found myself using it all year round. I recently went on a mini break to Cornwall to surf (for the first time - It was AMAZING!) and that the salt water made my lips dry and cracked. I had no lip balm on me so went to sainsburys and bought the Rosy lips Vaseline.

Unlike most lip balms (that come in a stick), Vaseline comes in a small aluminium tin. This is good as it means it stays fresher for longer and more than one person can use it easily (this is the same with sticks but some people don't like to use a stick that has been on someone else's mouth). You have to apply this lip balm with your finger which can be annoying for me as sometimes the Vaseline gets under my fingertips. A problem that many guys will not face.

Each tin contains 20g of Vaseline and the lid can be difficult to remove initially but the more you use it the easier it gets. Once the lid is removed the balm is (as the name suggests) a lovely rosy pink tint. The smell however disappointed me. As I had heard/read lots of wondrous reviews about the coca butter Vaseline and the smell of it, I assumed this version would have a flowery smell. Unfortunately it smells like the original petroleum jelly. Once applied onto the lip, it gives a shiny healthy appearance to the lip.

As with most lip balms, this will need re-application. I would normally re-apply this once an hour, but most people say they have to do it every half an hour. I would recommend not leaving this tin in direct sunlight as it will melt. Other than that I whole heartedly recommend this brand.

The average price for this product is around £1.99 but it can range from a mere £1 to a rather expensive £2.99. This Vaseline is widely available and you can buy this from all good supermarkets, drug stores and pharmacies. Near Christmas there seems to always have good deals on Vaseline products in Boots.

There are other varieties to look out for (in their unique colours) including:

So to sum this review up, I love this version of Vaseline - it is by far my favourite of the bunch and the only one I use now. It is a great product for all seasons as it leaves you lips looking healthy (and dare I say it ... Kissable)

I recommend the Rose tinted Vaseline for any girl (guys may not want to carry it around due to its feminine look).

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"The problem with secrets is even when you think you're in control, you're not."

This review is of the first series of the brilliant US drama Grey's Anatomy.

WARNING: This review of Grey's Anatomy series one may contain accidental spoilers.

Grey's Anatomy:

First screened in America in 2005, Grey's Anatomy is definitely a show to watch, become addicted to, then buy the box set (just so you can re-live the drama and see the twists and turns fall into place again).

The whole series focuses on the trials and tribulations of five new interns at Seattle Grace hospital. However, as the title would suggest (Grey's anatomy a play on the famous medical book Gray's anatomy) the main focus is on the central protagonist Meredith Grey. As, the overall story running throughout the show is the progressing relationship between Meredith and Derek (her one night stand she picked up in a bar, who just happens to be her new boss).

However, as every intern seems to have a secret to hide, the focus soon dwindles from Meredith. Although the main character, Meredith does not hog the limelight, as each intern has a story to tell. As the series progresses, we even get a glance into the lives of the residents and attending's, and find out that their lives are no better than the interns.

Characters:Meredith Grey - The central character Meredith, played by Ellen Pompeo, is a first year intern at Seattle Grace. From the very beginning we see her relationship with Dr. Shepard develop. She is a promising young surgeon, who could be great, if she could overcome her mother issues (who also was a surgeon ... a brilliant pioneering one to be exact) and her relationship drama with Derek Shepherd. She is the character that binds all the other interns, who wouldn't normally be friends, together. She is loveable due to her imperfections and her humanity.

Derek Shepherd - Patrick Dempsey plays the character of Dr. Shepherd, the head of neuro-surgery and also the main heart throb of the series. He earns the title Dr. McDreamy, due to his perfect hair and the deep meaningful gazes he exchanges with the character of Meredith. As he is an attending at the hospital, he is therefor Meredith's boss and so they try to keep their relationship secret. He seems like the perfect guy: sensitive, smart, sexy, honest and helpful.... But appearances can be deceiving as Dr. McDreamy has a big McSecret.

Christina Yang - Sandra Oh plays one of the best characters in Grey's anatomy. Christina Yang is the competitive, rude, pushy, has no bedside manner and extremely talented intern. This accurate description does not paint the most the best picture but you will soon find yourself loving her. As the series develops, you get to see the emotional and softer side of Christina, realising that she is the way she is for a reason. She is also best friends with Meredith, and the friendship they have (however kooky and crazy at times) is so endearing and lovely. Definitely my favourite character.

Izzie Stevens - The loveable and pretty surgeon. Izzie is caring, sweet but gets a bit too involved with her patients. She is roommate to Meredith and George, but often feels left out of the friendship between Meredith and Christina.

George O'Malley - George is the surgeon who just about made it into the programme and has a lot to learn. Saying this, he does progress the most out of all the other interns. He is compassionate, not afraid to get his hands dirty, a quick learner and a really lovely guy. However, his crush on a certain intern seems to get in his way.

Alex Karev - Acts like the 'Jock' of surgery. Alex is very sure of himself, both in surgery and with the ladies. He is a character that you learn to love, as at the beginning he may irritate viewers due to his arrogance. His relationship with Izzie Stevens is up and down, and he seems to be very anti- O'Malley.

Dr.Bailey - Dr.Bailey is the resident of the five interns. In other words, they are her responsibility. Expect a lot of brilliant speeches by this wonderful character played by Chandra Wilson.

Slight confusion:If you buy series one in America, there would only be nine episodes. This differs to the English version which has 14 episodes. However, you won't be missing out if you are an American viewer, as it appears that the other five episodes in the English boxset are in fact the first five episodes of the American Series two boxset. Sorry, this sounds confusing, but I cannot think of a better way of explaining it .

Soundtrack:The soundtrack of the series is amazing! The songs fit in so well with the emotions of the drama and will easily become a favourite song of yours. In particular the song "Where does the good go" by Tegan and Sara is an absolutely brilliant song! Inara George's "Fools in love" is also a beautifully written song. You may find yourself loving the series so much that you need to buy the soundtrack (which you can purchase from amazon for just over £5)

Price: At the moment, series one of Grey's Anatomy is selling on Amazon for £9.97.

I was roughly 14 when I fell in love with this show and six years on, I still love this amazing drama. It is not something I would call a teenage drama, as there is a lot of references to sex, however I do believe that this is a universally liked show. Not only did I get my whole family into this series, but living at university, I also got my flatmates hooked as well. I definitely recommend this drama to anyone who likes medical tv but also to those of you who just like the drama of relationships. This show has both and fits in a nice balance between the stresses of work, and the stresses of relationships.

If you have not seen this series, I urge you to watch it. You won't be disappointed!

Thank you for reading my review.

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1. What is the wallpaper on your computer screen? Why did you choose it? My wallpaper is a photo of some flowers (I think its wisteria) that I took at Hampton Court palace this summer. I have it as my background because they were lovely.

2. Mexican food, Chinese food, Italian food, French food or American food? If you gave me the choice right now (and considering I'm at University and so living off pasta) my choice would have to be American food as I LOVE chicken wings and Ribs and huge Burgers! But Chinese food is also a favourite of mine. Oooh are Fajitas Mexican because I cooked them tonight for dinner and they were sooooo yummy!!!

3. Do you have any tattoos and piercings? My ears are pierced if that counts? I have always said I would get a tattoo, but I would want it to be really meaningful as I wouldn't want to regret it ten years down the line.

4. Do you have any siblings? I have two older sisters who are more like my best friends (which wasn't always the case as we used to fight like cat and dog). I am so grateful that they are my family.

5. Have you ever broken a bone? I broke my ankle when I was 2 years old and more recently I broke a finger (when I was 15) and a Toe two years ago.

6. Do you believe in superstitious things such as breaking mirrors? I like to say that I don't but I do find myself saying "touch wood" and hitting/knocking something wooden.

7. Do you like those 'end of the world' movies? Nope. But as my mum loves them I do find myself watching them. Armageddon makes me cry because of Aerosmith's song.

8. Do you eat more fruits or vegetables? What's your favourite fruit and veggie? Vegetables - my fav are peas and roast potatoes (well any potato to be fair!). Im not a huge fruit person but grapes of bananas I do enjoy.

9. Who were you most likely to play during school nativities? As a red-head I didn't have the hair colour to play Mary, I remember being a twinkling star in one though.

10. What's your opinion of the dentist? HATE IT. Also as I have an addiction to fizzy drinks I have bad teeth anyway so often need fillings &#61516;

11. Have you ever had a speech impediment? A minor one that has been cured- basically replaced my S's with Fs. This caused great amusement to my cousin as he would ask me to say the word smarties and of course I would reply farties.

12. If you had to choose, what is the worst movie you've ever seen? I once watched an awful american remake of Pride and prejudice where they named a dog Austen :(...what an insult to Jane Auusten (You can tell Im slightly obsessed with the Austen novels).

13. Do you like meeting new people? I used to be really shy but going to Uni made me more confident.

14. If you could, which celebrity would you date? Robert Downey Jnr.

15. Who would you take with you on a deserted island? My sisters.

16. Do you know how wide your hips are in exact inches? Oh god knows.

17. What would you say is the worst part of high school?Fighting with who you are and the person you are becoming/want to be.

18. How old will you be on your Mother's 68th birthday? Is that 'old' to you? 32 I think.

19. Ever thought you were dying of something you were not even close to having? Yep when I was 15, I thought my appendix was going to burst but it turned out to be bad stomach cramp.... Woops!

20. Have you ever wanted to be a doctor? No but I did consider being a nurse a couple of years ago.

21. If you were dying who would you say goodbye to first? The least important person in my life, to get them over and done with, as I would want to spend my last few moments with the people who actually matter to me. The last people I would say goodbye to would be my family as I would want them to be the last people I spoke to. (Of course they'd be the first to know I was dying though)

22. Do you like to babysit children? I actually never have done this so I cant say.

23. Do you often forget where you put things? Occasionaly. Like keys!!!

24. Do you go on a lot of holidays? One a year - would love to be able to go more, as I love to travel and explore new places.

25. Have you ever met someone with the same 'biggest fear' as you? My biggest fear is a weird one and I don't often talk about it so no not really.

26. Would you rather write with a pen or pencil? Why? Pen, I used to write essays in pencil and as I write so fast and messy the pencil would smudge leaving the writing hard to decipher. I also am weird In the fact that I love to sketch with a pen as I love the scratchy images you can get from this.

27. What is your favourite number and why? The number 25 is my favourite number (surprise surprise I'm born on the 25th March)

28. Are you afraid of being kidnapped when you go outside at night time? To be honest the thought never enters my mind.

29. Where was the best school trip you ever went on? I think the adventure week in Bude that my school took us on in year nine was actually brilliant, I loved absailing.

30. Are you a controversial person? Nope - rather old fashioned at heart.

29. What would you say your average word per minute count is on a keyboard? Gosh ...well I type quite fast, but with this comes a lot of stupid spelling errors, so um 20 words a minute perhaps?

30. What was your favourite and least favourite subject in school? Favourite - History (still is as I'm doing a history related degree)Least - Physics (unless It was about the solar system!)

31. Do you bite your finger nails? I used to but grew out of that habit when I was 14.

32. When is the next time you'll go to the library? Considering I have an essay due in in the next week or so I will be in there a lot.

33. Do you like fiction or non-fiction books more? I love a good fiction novel &#61514;

34. Do you treat other's as you'd like to be treated? Id say yes mostly but I do have my bad moments where I can be quite catty.

35. What type of child were you? Cry baby

36. Are you someone who likes to get into arguments and fights a lot? NOPE! Hate confrontation.

37. Do you swear a lot? More then I would like to but thankfully not in front of my parents.

38. If you had to get a tattoo, what would it be of and where would you have it? Backside of wrist - as its discrete and it would be something meaningful and maybe relating to my family or a favourite quote from a book.

39. What's your favourite TV show? Gossip girl.

40. Does personality weigh out the sense of 'good looks'? Yes, but I have to be attracted to the guy or else the relationship wont work.

41. What is your favourite thing in your bedroom? My bed :D

42. If you could change 1 thing about you, what would it be? The fact that I worry way too much.

43. Do you have any regrets? If so, what are they? None that I can think of now....

44. What colour hair do you have? I'm a red head and proud.

45. What colour eyes do you have? Bluey - Grey

46. Favourite Sound? My sisters laughter as her laugh always makes me laugh. (She giggles like a four year old).

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I recently ran out of one of my favourite perfumes, Be Delicious night by DKNY. I informed my mum and asked her to pick me up a new bottle (I did pay for it - although was secretly hoping she would treat me ... well I am a Uni student -haha) when she was next in our local town centre as we have a perfume store (and my Uni's town doesn't) and I normally find them to be the cheapest retailer (that isn't online).

Unfortunately for me, my mum got confused with what scent I wanted and opted for the original DKNY: Be Delicious for Women as she recognised the bottle and colour (my sister has previously owned this scent). As my mum had gone to the trouble of buying the bottle and I was feeling rather plush as ad recently landed a part time job, I decided to keep the scent.

SCENT:

DKNY describes the scent as:

DKNY Be Delicious for Women fragrance is a modern feast for the senses. Served in a sleek metal and glass apple bottle, this juicy fragrance combines the scent of apple with the sophisticated blend of exotic flowers and sensual woods. Like the city that inspired it, DKNY Be Delicious perfume celebrates individuality with refreshing spirit.

This is, for me, a lovely scent for the autumn months as the woody scent makes me feel all cosy (I know this sounds rather random but it's true). On first sniff, I imagined wearing this scent, dressed in jumpers and thick tights and sitting in front of a fire. For me this is a real plus as so many of my scents I reserve for summer that it's nice to have an autumnal winter smell. Many will disagree with me and say this is a spring/summer scent due to the flower smell drifting through but I associate this smell with autumn and the leaves changing (partly I guess this is because I'm a city girl who has recently moved to a more countryside-ish place to study... so the scent of the woods is a new and lovely experience ... I'm too used to the smell of exhaust pipes). This has also got a slight spicy smell to it (well at least my nostrils picked this up) which reminds me partly of Christmas time.

DKNY also describes the perfume using four words. These words being: innocent, sexy, wholesome and provocative. I don't think I will be alone in thinking that these combinations of words (especially innocent and provocative) are words that one would often hear describing the same product. I would definitely agree with the idea of this perfume being wholesome though. I also guess that in this sex-crazed time we are living in that not a lot sells unless it is described as 'sexy'.

PRICING: My mum bought this roughly two weeks ago from the Perfume store for £24.99 for 30ml. But as it gets closer to Christmas you may find that special deals are taking place that reduce the price of certain fragrances. After a quick nosey on the Perfume stores website I also noticed that for 15ml you only pay £15.99, which to me is an ideal price for giving to a friend as a gift or even treating yourself if you want to try the scent.

You may want to look on the website cheapsmells.com as I find them to be cheaper nine times out of ten.

WOULD I RECOMMEND?:

This is a very good scent if you want a simple classic smell that you can wear day in day out. I guess that's the reason why the released a night version as this scent is definitely (in my opinion) for day use only.

As I am sure I have mentioned in one of my previous perfume reviews, if I feel like I need to own the perfume then the scent for me is a winner. I know this is not the feeling most people get when smelling perfume but for self-confessed perfume addicts like me, this is a big factor in choosing what perfume to own! The scent of DKNY Be Delicious did not grab my attention like other perfumes in the past have and so after I have finished my bottle, I will not be purchasing it again.

I would definitely consider giving this as a gift to slightly older women (and so as not to offend, by older I mean older than 19 year old me who still likes the big and bold, ostentatious scents - for example, my 25 year old sister loves this smell). This would also be a lovely gift for someone whom likes a more natural smelling (i.e. not chemically) scent as the smell of apples, exotic flowers and woods beautifully mask any chemicals that may reside in this perfume.

OVERALL: I am surprisingly not as impressed with this scent as I hoped I would be. Granted I do like the smell but considering my favourite perfume, DKNY Delicious Night, is (I can think of no better word at the moment then sequel) by the same company I was not as impressed by this smell as that of the Delicious Night. However saying this, it is a genuinely nice smell, just maybe not one I would buy again.

My review may read as quite confusing as I seem to have both criticised and praised this scent. My reason for this is that I do like the smell of this perfume, it is just not a scent I would often wear myself given the choice of some of my other stronger scents.

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For my birthday this year I asked my parents for tickets to go and see the musical Les Miserables. I absolutely loved it! I found for the next week or so I was humming the songs from this brilliant show. The story and music was so amazing that I had to purchase a CD with the songs on.

What I purchased was: Les Miserables - The Musical that Swept the World - In concert at the Royal Albert hall - 10th anniversary addition.

As I love this purchase so much, I thought I should review it so that other Les Mis fans cand hear of this compilation.

What is Les Mis:Les Miserables (Les Mis) is a hit musical based on the classic novel (of the same name) by Victor Hugo. I will not give too much of the storyline away as I wouldn't want to spoil this brilliant work of theatre for you. The play centres on the life of Valjean, whom after being released from prison, tries to carry on with his life as well as he can. However, this is not easy as he is haunted by the mistakes made in his past, and by Javert (A prison warden) who wants to remind Valjean who he is. This is a story of redemption, love and the social conditions of France in the nineteenth century.

Musical Numbers:This two disc compilation features 41 songs in total. So as not to bore you or write an essay (although saying that, I know this will be long anyways - sorry) I will describe my top five songs from this brilliant musical (as well as including the actual list of songs on the discs.)

Disc One -1. Prologue2. On parole/ The Bishop3. Valjean's Soliloquy 4. At the end of the day5. I dreamed a dream 6. Lovely ladies7. Fantine's arrest8. The runaway cart9. Who am I? - The Trial10. Fantine's Death11. The confrontation12. Castle on a cloud13. Master of the house14. The Bargain - Waltz of treachery15. Look down16. Stars17. ABC café/ Red and Black18. Do you hear the people sing?19. Rue Plumet - In my life20. A heart full of love

Disc two - 1. The attack on rue plumet2. One day more!3. Building the barricade4. Back at the barricade5. Javert's arrival / little people6. A little fall of rain7. Night of anguish8. First attack9. Drink with me10. Bring him home11. Second attack/ The final battle12. The sewers13. Dog eat dog14. Javert's suicide15. Turning16. Empty chairs at empty tables17. Every day/ a heart full of love18. The wedding chorale/ Beggars at the feast19. Epilogue20. Encore 1 - speeches/ do you hear the people sing?21. One day more

The order of the songs, follow the order of the musical (which I'm sure everyone would expect).

What I absolutely love about this music is that I can picture ever single scene in my head and I can hear the emotion felt by the singer. There is such a passion in the performance and delivery of this music that makes these songs absolutely beautiful. I have listened to this album, from start to finish, roughly 15 times and only bought it about two months ago.

My Top Five Songs:1.Master of the House - This has to be the funniest song of the whole production. This song had me literally giggling the whole way through. It has such a light hearted feel to the song which is a nice change from the more emotional and slightly depressing songs on the cd.

2. At the end of the day - This is a song that is sung by a chorus of people so powerfully. You can really hear the emotion in the voices of the singers.

Favourite line from song: At the end of the day you're another day older.

3. Do you hear the people sing? - This is very much a revolutionary styled song. This has a quick pace and lively tempo, which makes you just want to sing along. One of the main songs of the musical that I couldn't get out of my head.

4. Who am I?/ The trial - What I love about this song is that you can hear the inner turmoil going on in the singers head. You can almost see the clogs ticking inside the man's head as he works out whether to do the right thing, or the thing that is right for him.

5. Castle on a cloud - this song is sung by the character Cosette whom must be around the age of 10 or 11. It is quite a sile song, but this makes it sound even better as its coming from a child's voice. The tempo and pace of the song all help in making the singer seem more fragile. At the end of this song I wanted to do nothing more than to hug the actor as I genuinely felt sorry for this poor little girl.

Many people who love Les Mis will be surprised that I didn't include the famous song "I dreamed a Dream" in my top five songs (made even more famous when Susan Boyle sang it - opening the music up to a whole new demographic). My reason for this is simply because that, as beautiful as this song is, it didn't move me as much as the others did. It is very hard to pick only five songs from this compilation disc as they are all so brilliant.

Price: I bought this from amazon for £13.99. You can buy this on the official souvenir website for Les Miserables but it will be a bit pricey.

Would I recommend?:I think it is clear form my review that I am absolutely obsessed with the music from this brilliant musical. The songs stir a range of emotions and are so beautifully written that I cannot help but listen to them over and over again. If you or anyone you know loves the musical Les Miserables then I would defenitly recommend purchasing this.

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If you ask any of my friends they will tell you that, other than perfume and handbags, I am addicted to US drama. My best friend Elizabeth told me to watch the series the Vampire Diaries as she was hooked on it and wanted someone to gossip with about the series. As I was too late to catch the series on ITV2 I decided to buy the first series.

What is this series about? :

Starting as a series of novels by L. J. Smith, the Vampire Diaries is based in the fictional town of Mystic Falls (which is apparently set in Virginia) in America. The town Mystic Falls (not only aptly named mystic for the fact that strange things happen here) seems to be a place where you grow up with your friends, going to the same primary (well the American equivalent) school and high school. Due to this, the teenage characters have history, knowing each other for a long time. Due to this, the town seems rather safe and quiet. That is until the mysterious (and very cute) Stefan Salvatore returns to town.

The series follows the life of Elena Gilbert, a 17-year-old girl, who has recently lost her parents. Feeling like her old life doesn't matter; Elena seems to not connect with her friends easily (besides her best friend Bonnie). So when Stefan arrives at school, Elena is drawn to this brooding new character. Almost instantly she falls for the 162-year-old vampire. Soon she begins to realise Stefan's real character, making the relationship complicated.

Their relationship becomes increasingly complicated as Stefan's elder brother Damon (Whom is so annoyingly charming and very hot) returns with a plan to wreak havoc on the town and also to annoy Stefan. The brothers have a complicated relationship, which becomes increasingly more complicated as both brothers begin to show affection towards Elena. As you can imagine, Stefan isn't very pleased with the knowledge that Damon feels something for his girlfriend.

The reason for this, Elena soon learns, is that she has a striking resemblance to the woman Damon and Stefan loved 150 years ago, Katherine (whom may look like Elena but is nothing like her character - In fact she seems exactly opposite). This was the same woman whom made Stefan and Damon vampires all those years ago.

Luckily, this series was very popular. Resulting in a 2nd series (which has recently been released onto DVD) and a third series which will be released on the 15/09/11 in America. Unfortunatly I dont know when this will be released in the UK (hopefully very very soon!)

My favourite character has to be without a doubt Damon Salvatore. He is the lovable rogue. The older brother of Stefan Salvatore, he is very charming and attractive. He is also quite a comical individual and has the almost reverse character of his younger brother.

My least favourite character is Vicki Donovan. She has an annoying personality and strings along the sweet innocent Jeremy Gilbert. She is a screw up and completely different to her brother Matt Donovan. Both are friends of the main character Elena Gilbert.

I think that the cast are brilliant and act well. I had never seen any of the cast before in any of the other American dramas I had seen, which is nice because I'm not comparing their performances or their characters with others I have seen of them.

This series has 22 episodes in total. Although I think this series starts slowly, after episode 8 I was truly hooked. If after the first couple of episodes you are not that enamoured by this series, I would suggest that you carry on with this series as this is definitely a series that draws you in. Each episode is roughly 45 minutes long. The episodes sometimes end in a way where you just NEED to know what happens next, so you could find yourself watching 3 or 4 episodes a night (or in my case 10 in a day -I know this is bad but my main excuse is that I'm not at Uni at the moment, I'm bored).

Price and where to buy? :

I bought this Series box set three weeks ago (20/08/2011) from Tesco for £12, only to go in to the store a week later to find that they are selling it for the bargain price of £7. This I believe was the result of series 2 of the Vampire Diaries being released. Amazon also sells this fantastic series for £9.

Would I recommend? :

I would definitely recommend this series to anyone who loves American drama. Even if you're not that interested by the idea of Vampires to begin with, I honestly think that this series will appeal to fans of American dramas such as One Tree Hill or Gossip Girl. Vampire Diaries is a highly addictive American drama that will appeal to females aged 13- 30 (I say this as my oldest sister is 27 and loves this series).

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I tend to read either historical fiction (like the brilliant novels of Phillipa Gregory) or classics such as Persuasion by Jane Austen and Jane Eyre (my favourite book!) by Charlotte Bronte. However, after having completed my A-Levels last year, and in particular A2 English Literature (Where I read many classic novels and plays by people such as Forster, Shakespeare, Sheriff and even the poems of Chaucer) I decided to read something g a little more light hearted. My sister also loves to read the classics but has a love for Chick-Lit. She got a copy of 'I heart New-York' by Lindsey Kelk free with a magazine and gave it to me, knowing I wanted an easy read. Not expecting much of this debut novel that was given away free, I was pleasantly surprised. So much so, that I had to purchase the sequels to this lovely novel. Here is my review:

THE BLURB/SYNOPSIS:

It's official. Angela Clarke is in love -- with the most fabulous city in the world. Fleeing her cheating boyfriend and clutching little more than a crumpled bridesmaid dress, a pair of Louboutins and her passport, Angela jumps on a plane, destination - NYC. Holed up in a cute hotel room, Angela gets a New York makeover from her NBF (new best friend) Jenny and a whirlwind tour of the city that never sleeps. Before she knows it, Angela is dating two sexy guys. And, best of all, she gets to write about it in her new blog (Carrie Bradshaw eat your heart out). But it's one thing telling readers about your romantic dilemmas, it's another figuring them out for yourself! Angela has fallen head over heels for the big apple, but does she heart New York more than home?

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Lindsey Kelk is a British writer and children's book editor. When she isn't writing, reading, listening to music or watching more TV than is healthy, Lindsey likes to wear shoes, shop for shoes and judge the shoes of others. She loves living in New York but misses Sherbert Fountains, London and drinking Gin & Elderflower cocktails with her friends. Not necessarily in that order. (This was taken from the back cover of the book 'I heart New York')

'I heart New York' is Lindsey Kelk's debut novel and was released in 2009. The success of this book resulted in the sequel's called: 'I heart Hollywood' and 'I heart Paris', both of which I have read and thoroughly enjoyed (and will probably review at a later date).

MY OPINION:

What makes this book so brilliant for me is the character of Angela, the main protagonist in the story. She seems like such a genuine person in the book and I couldn't help but love her. I'm sure that some would find her character irritating for the main fact that she tends to whine a little, but to me this made her character (and the story) seem so much more believable. By creating a character that complains about her life and what has happened to her, Kelk has made Angela someone that most who read this book could relate to.

The setting of this book is surprisingly enough New York and although Carrie Bradshaw is mentioned by the Author in the blurb, this is not some rip-off of Sex and the City. The main similarity of the two new-york based stories is the fact that a single girl writes a blog/column. Angela is not, unlike Carrie, an American writing a column for a New York newspaper but is an English girl writing a blog of her impressions of New York and how she is settling into her new life in New York. The fact that Kelk mentions Bradshaw in the blurb is to show to the reader that the character Angela sees the parallel for herself, being an English girl who would have watched the drama or read the original book.

The way the setting is described through Angela's eyes makes me really really want to visit New-York and see these beautiful sights for myself. We see the famous landmarks of the big apple through eyes that are just seeing them themselves. We can feel the excitement of New York as Angela is herself so excited. It is also clear that the author loves the city, not only through her descriptions of the places but also through the extra notes of New York at the back.

As an added bonus, Lindsey Kelk has included some handy tourist tips at the back of the book which include places to eat, drink, stay and of course shop (Well when in New York...) This is a really thoughtful touch that shows the authors true love of the city.

WOULD I RECOMMEND?:

I would definitely recommend this book. The story line is original and addictive. Once you learn about Angela, you can't help but wish her all the best and be rooting for her. I felt compelled to know what happened next to her and so bought the other two books.

I think any girl whom loves a good chick-lit book will love Lindsey Kelk's debut novel. It's pure escapism, and makes you wonder what you'd do if you were like Angela. Fans of Jane Green, Sophie Kinsella and Louise Bagshawe will Love this series. Even if you're not, like me, an avid chick-lit reader I still think this book will appeal. Everyone can identify with Angela!

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I needed to be distracted the other night from the horrid looting that was happening in my home town of Enfield. As I was very nervous with what was happening only 5 minutes away from my doorstep a film seemed like a good distraction. I decided a light hearted film was the right choice for me. When I noticed that sky movies had shown legally blonde (and my sister had luckily recorded it on our sky plus box) I knew this was the right choice for me. Having previously watched the film several times before, I knew what I was letting myself in for. Here is my first film review of a truly brilliant film.

Storyline/plotline:

Elle Woods has it all. She's the president of her sorority, a Hawaiian Tropic girl, Miss June in her campus calendar, and, above all, a natural blonde. She dates the cutest fraternity boy on campus and wants nothing more than to be Mrs Warner Huntington III. But, there's just one thing stopping Warner from popping the question: Elle is too blonde. Growing up across the street from Aaron Spelling might mean something in LA, but nothing to Warner's East-Coast blue blood family. So, when Warner packs up for Harvard Law and reunites with an old sweetheart from prep school, Elle rallies all her resources and gets into Harvard, determined to win him back. But law school is a far cry from the comforts of her poolside and the mall. Elle must wage the battle of her life, for her guy, for herself and for all the blondes who suffer endless indignities every day.

This brilliant film, which was nominated for two golden globes (best performance by an actress and best motion picture) challenges the idea of stereotypes. What is clear from the film at the beginning is that, Elle woods is a character purely judged by her appearance. The way she dresses, her looks and even her hair colour are all factors as to why people at Harvard Law school look at her as a joke. As a minority myself (red-head and proud!) It is nice to see a film challenging the idea of such stereotypes as 'dumb - blondes' or 'blonde bimbos'. This film shows that no matter how you look, you shouldn't let that stop you trying to follow your dreams.

The movie's opening theme song "Perfect Day" by Hoku is actually very fitting and apt. It's a very catchy song that fits perfectly with how Elle Woods feels at the start of the film. I love the opening of the film and the song is a big part of this.

This film, although described aptly as a 'Chick-flick' is also a brilliant comedy in its own right. In fact one sentence uttered by Elle Woods in the film (as performed brilliantly by Reese Witherspoon) won best movie line in the 2002 MTV movie awards with "Oh, I like your outfit too, except when I dress up as a frigid bitch, I try not to look so constipated." (Said to the character Vivian) The emotions shown in this film feel so genuine that you, as the viewer, are constantly hoping that Elle will succeed in her endeavours.

The real success of this film (in my opinion) is not the script, or the costumes but the acting of Reese Witherspoon as the lead Elle Woods. Witherspoon manages to make the character Elle Woods so endearing that I defy anyone to hate her. She gives the character an absolutely beautiful heart and a truly honest voice that should be heard. I wish more people had Elle Woods heart and character. Witherspoon definitely delivers in this film and I believe she should have won that Golden Globe in 2002!

Would I recommend?:

I love this film and surprised I do not own it on DVD yet (maybe I can treat myself to it with my next amazon voucher from Dooyoo). This is a classic chick-flick film that you can watch time and time again without getting bored of it. The reason for this is, I believe, due to its heart-warming (and as Elle Woods would say...) fuzzy storyline that truly makes you feel like you know Elle. This film's appeal ranges to girly-girls who view Cosmo magazine as the bible (Like Elle herself) to tom-boys alike. Even some males have seen the appeal of Legally blonde (and this is not only due to the fact that Reese Witherspoon is gorgeous!).

I would definitely recommend this film to any female and if you love this film, check out the rest of Reese Witherspoon's films as she is a gem of an actress!

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I received the Just Pink perfume that is exclusive to the fashion shop Next in what they call the "just pink heart fragrance gift" for my birthday in March (It seems that everyone knows about my addiction to perfume now). Recently I cracked this gift open as I was in desperate need of body cream with which this box so luckily included.

The reason I had not opened this present earlier was that (having received a bottle of 'Just Pink' for a present years before) I knew myself to be not enamoured by the scent of this particular fragrance.

SCENT:

Next describes the scent as:

A fresh, green, floral fragrance with soft fruits and pink blooms.(I suppose just Green did not sound as pretty...)

This is not a particularly exciting fragrance but it's one that suits everyday occasions and s not too over powerful. I definitely agree with the Next description that this is a fresh scent. Making this perfume the perfect scent, for everyday wear, especially during the summer months.

PRICING:

As I got this as a birthday present I'm not sure of how much it cost at the time, however after a sneaky nose on the Next website I found the box to be selling at £12. This is a lovely way to give this scent to a person as a gift as it includes not only the fragrance but the bath products as well.

However if you just wanted to give the perfume for a gift (or in fact buy it for yourself) then you could purchase a bottle of this pretty scent from any Next store or on their website for:

100ml: £12 (same price as the gift set)75ml: £10

I am not sure if they sell smaller sizes separately as they do not advertise a bottle below the content of 75ml on their website.

WOULD I RECOMMEND?:

This is a very good scent if you want a simple classic smell that you can wear day in day out. I guess that's way they called it "Just Pink" as it to me is a perfume to be worn for occasions where you just want to smell pretty and not stand out.

I do like this scent but find it to be no competition when compared to my favourite scents such as DKNY Delicious Night, Very Wang Princess and Juicy Couture Viva La juicy (all of which I have reviewed on here). Just Pink doesn't have the wow factor for me that these other perfumes do, it seems to be lacking in something. The scent is very pleasant but doesn't make me feel like I need to own it (I know this is not the feeling most people get when smelling perfume but for self-confessed perfume addicts like me, this is a big factor!).

I think my attitude towards this perfume may be that as I received this when I was a young teenager I have this view in my mind that it is for 13 year olds. Don't get me wrong, I know older people use this scent but it is stuck in my mind as a teenagers scent.

This is why I would definitely recommend this fragrance to young teenagers as a way of introducing them almost to perfume, it has a light scent that is not too over whelming and so they do not have to worry about over use.

I received this (thee first time) as a gift from my grandmother at around the age of 14 I guess, and I absolutely loved it (at the time) and so I have no problem recommending it as the perfect gift to give to your young daughter or grand-daughter.

This would also make a great gift for those women you know who likes a delicate and subtle scent.

OVERALL:

I am not that impressed with this scent as I find it to be a little boring. However, I think it is the perfect bottle to carry around in your handbag during the day for daily spritzes and top-ups of perfume. As it is cheaper than most it is ideal for this purpose as you don't feel the need to be sparing and can be as liberal with the scent as you like or need.

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Lacoste touch of Pink was my first real perfume and recently I found the dregs of a bottle in my room and re-discovered the scent I loved all those years ago. Considering this, I thought it was about time I wrote a review on this lovely scent.

Described as:Lacoste Touch of Pink is a fruity-floral which captures the essence of a woman full of youthful sensuality. A real classic for a woman who is young yet grown-up, classic yet modern, innocent yet knowing. Her femininity shines from within and her unique charm is as compelling as it is captivating.

What do these notes mean:I have never known what perfume notes mean or what they are until recent research. I thought I would include my findings in this review for those of you who were ignorant like me.

Heart notes: The middle note compounds form the "heart" or main body of a perfume and emerge in the middle of the perfume's dispersion process.Top notes: Perceived immediately upon application of a perfume, they form a person's initial impression of a perfume.Base notes: Base notes bring depth and solidity to a perfume and is the scent that appears after the heart notes fade.

Above is all the technical/chemical jargon... here is my opinion of the scent:

This scent is so young, fruity and delicious. Lacoste 'Touch of Pink' was my first grown-up (as my mum at the time called it...) or in other words my first designer perfume. I received this scent at the age of 15 and five years later I find this perfume just as appealing to me as I did before.

This fragrance, with all its floral scents, is (to me) perfect for the summer months. It's girly, youthful and slightly flirty. Although I got this as one of my first fragrances from my parents when I was 15, I still find this fragrance a winner. I do not consider this to be a teenager's scent, even though it is good for teens. I find this scent a great alternative to my slightly sexier scents, perfect for those flirty summer days!

I do not have to re-apply this perfume often, as the scent clings to the body well. In five years I have only gotten through three 50ml bottles (which is impressive considering I am normally quite dis-loyal with perfumes, using up the first bottle and never re-visiting the perfume again.)

This is a scent that you do not have to use up as soon as you get it. This is a scent that you can leave on your shelf and use when needed. Whether this is on your shelf for a couple of months or for a couple of years, this scent will stay current, fruity and fresh for as long as you still like it.

This is also the first perfume that made me love the scent of musk!!

TRY BEFORE YOU BUY:Obviously you can try this at any perfume counter before purchasing and I would recommend doing this, but a better way to try out this scent would be a free sample. When snooping on the Lacoste fragrance website I noticed they offer free samples of their fragrances (I myself ordered a free sample of 'Joy of Pink'). The link to the website is:

http://www.lacoste-parfums.com/womens-fragrances

PRICE:As I was given this perfume around five years ago the price will not be the same (luckily for you it should be cheaper). Prices vary at different stores, so I would definitely recommend shopping around.

The Perfume store is selling 30ml for £21.99, 50ml for £32.50 and 90ml for £41.95.

As with any fragrance, I would recommend looking at stores such as Boots and The Perfume Store during the Christmas period as these stores sell lovely gift sets at brilliant value.

WOULD I RECOMMEND?:I would definitely recommend this to young women who love flirty, floral and very feminine scents. This is a perfect summer scent that I doubt anyone could get bored of (If I haven't, being the perfume addict that I am, I would be shocked if someone else was.)

Also this is a lovely scent for a teenager who wants a fruity girly smell. This would make a brilliant present for your daughter or grand-daughter.

OVERALL: I have never got bored of this fragrance and so definitely have no trouble recommending it to you lovely dooyooers. I give this lovely scent four out of five stars.

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What originally comes to my mind when thinking of the brand 'Juicy Couture' are there velour tracksuits that (no offence to anyone who owns one) I cannot stand. I have always thought that this label was very loud (hence the juicy part of the name) and suited to WAGs and the like as it was often through seeing the label on footballers wives that I ever saw their products. However when, on the television, I saw their advert for their new fragrance 'Viva La Juicy' I was intrigued. This advert really appealed to me as it was young, current and different to what I expected Juicy Couture to be. When, soon after, I was given the opportunity to test the scent I was immediately hooked.

The Company's description of the product:

One day in a land called Pacoima two nice girls created a Juicy Eau de Parfum that smells like Couture. Then they said, "Wait a minute. We want more!" It should be haute. It should be couture. But no matter what, it's got to be Juicy for sure. And that's how they created VIVA LA JUICY. Smells like couture!

The scent:

My friends all agree with me that this is a scent that grows on you and gradually becomes an addiction. When I first smelt it in the tester bottle I felt it had a rather chemically smell to it; however I wafted my tester card around for a couple of minutes and re-sniffed. My second sniff was more to my taste and so I decided (rather impulsively- but I am a sucker for a nice perfume) to purchase the 30ml bottle. Each sniff since the first has me loving this scent more and more.

What I really love about this scent is that it has a beautiful fruity scent yet doesn't smell overly sweet like some fruity perfumes. Due to this I find that all thought its target audience (judging from their advert campaigns) is for the younger female, any age could wear this as it almost has a classic smell about it. The scent seems to cling to the body and not want to leave which is brilliant as it last longer than most perfumes I own but can be bad if you spray that bit too much as it quickly becomes overpowering.

This is a very summery scent for me and I'm glad that (thanks to the weather improving) I can begin to wear this delicious smell once again.

Appearance:

I do not like the appearance of this bottle of perfume whatsoever. It looks exactly how I picture Juicy Couture to look in my head (Pink and over the top). Although I am a self-confessed girly girl I found the big pink bow and gold couture charm very tacky and something that a young teenager would love (I know I would have about six years ago!)

If it were not for the big bow and charm, then the bottle looks rather nice. It is clear so that you can see what level your perfume is at and how much remains (which is always handy!) and has the Juicy Couture logo in grey on the front of the bottle, which is of decanter style.

Price and where to buy:

This perfume can be bought from department stores such as Debenhams and House of Fraser but also in shops such as Boots and The Perfume store.

However I have found this product cheapest to buy on Feelunique.com where prices range from: £29.75 - £51.00.

With a product like this you are paying more for the brand but with a scent like this it is worth it. However as I always say for perfumes, wait until Christmas where places such as The Perfume Store often run special deals and promotions. Gift sets for fragrances can often work out cheaper than buying the scent on its own and they also make excellent presents!

Overall:

Although not my favourite perfume I do love the scent of Viva La Juicy. I get a lot of compliments while wearing this and since wearing this most of my friends now own a bottle of this beautiful perfume. This would make a brilliant gift (If you were able to part from such a lovely scent - I know I couldn't)

I give this product four out of five stars, with it not reaching the full quota due to the design of the product. That said I would definitely recommend this product.

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As a lover of history, I often read fiction that has some sort of historical grounding. Either they are set in the past or reference to a particular moment. I picked up Kommandant's girl in Tesco a year ago when studying my A-Levels. In A-Level history I had to (annoyingly) once again study the world wars with particular focus on WW2. I had studied this to death in previous years and so the thought of reading a history textbook on the war did not appeal, however when I saw a novel on the shelves of Tesco's which had the symbol of the Nazi Swastika on a man's jacket I decided to pick it up. I hoped that reading fiction on WW2 would hopefully make me more enthusiastic about studying this momentous event again. I loved this book and found that I couldn't put it down easily. Unfortunately this did not rekindle any romance I once had with the Second World War but did get me very interested in the polish resistant movement.

THE BLURB/SYNOPSIS: September 1939. Overnight, Jewish nineteen-year-old Emma Bau's world is turned upside down when Germany invades Poland. And after only six weeks of marriage, her husband Jacob, a member of the resistance, is forced to flee.

Escaping the ghetto, Emma assumes a new, Christian, identity and finds work at Nazi headquarters. As secretary to the charismatic Kommandant Richwalder, Emma vows to use her unique position to gather intelligence for the resistance, by any means necessary.

"Krakow, the city of Kings, was no longer mine. I had become a foreigner in the place I had always called home."

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Pam Jenoff was born in Maryland and raised outside Philadelphia. She attended George Washington University in Washington, D.C., and Cambridge University in England. Upon receiving her master's in history from Cambridge, she accepted an appointment as Special Assistant to the Secretary of the Army.

In 1996 she was assigned to the U.S. Consulate in Krakow, Poland. It was during this period that Pam developed her expertise in Polish-Jewish relations and the Holocaust. Working on matters such as preservation of Auschwitz and the restitution of Jewish property in Poland, Jenoff developed close relations with the surviving Jewish community.

She says of her debut novel, The Kommandant's Girl: "Communism had recently ended in Eastern Europe, and it was a tremendously exciting time--the local Jewish community was truly free for the first time since before World War II. As a result, there was something of a Jewish cultural renaissance, which defied all that the Nazis and Communists had tried to do, and served as a testimony to the human spirit. Also during this period, many painful issues of the Holocaust were beginning to be openly explored. I was profoundly affected by my experiences and by the many close relationships I developed with both Jewish and Gentile Poles, and for several years after my return to the United States I had wanted to write a novel that reflected these experiences."

This is what I love about the novel. Pam Jenoff never set out to be an author but it was the stories she heard in Poland by these survivors that set this book in motion. It is a story that has been inspired by true voices which makes it that bit more poignant and effective.

If you want to find out more about the author Pam Jenoff then her website is: http://www.pamjenoff.com/UK/author.html

MY OPINION:

I do not find myself often able to cry with books, which my sister often does. So, for me to cry at the ending of the Kommandant's girl was really something. The emotion in this book is so detailed and complex, with the main character Emma (or Anna as she is also known) suffering not only great loss but also suffering with the confusion of falling in love with the enemy. We as readers can feel her agony and pain as she tries to get closer with the charismatic Kommandant in order to steal information for the resistance movement in Poland.

Without trying to give too much away, the choices Emma has to make are so difficult that I was even unsure of what I wanted her to do or what the outcome should be.

Emma shows herself to be an incredibly strong person. This is shown through her beginning her life again and risking it to help her race and family. She does not run away scared, she fights her fear by working for the Nazi headquarters in Poland. She desperately tries to protect the family she has and even cares for those that she does not have connections with.

I feel, know that I have visited a lot of the sites mentioned in the book, that I can safely say that Pam Jenoff carefully and (undoubtedly) painstakingly captured the essence of the beautiful city that is Krakow. Considering Jenoff conversed with surviving Poles you can tell that her account of war-time Krakow is painted accurately. Reading the book made me more and more want to visit the former capital of Poland and I wasn't disappointed with what I saw as it matched Jenoff's descriptions wonderfully!

This book is a one of as it deals with a subject of the war that I have not really read into much, the occupation and resistance movement in Poland. This book truly fascinated me and made me look into this topic in more detail. I couldn't put this book down as I was so connected with the central protagonist, Emma that I had to find out what had happened to her. Even the ending left me wondering.

I hope they make this brilliant novel into a film!!

WOULD I RECOMMEND?:

I would definitely recommend this fantastic and poignant book to anyone interested in either doomed love stories or historical fiction. This is a really beautiful book both in storyline and the way it is written. For anyone who has visited the beautiful and historic city of Krakow (once the capital of Poland and where the Polish monarchy used to reside) then this book is a much for you. It describes the city so thoroughly and in such a way that you will not only want to revisit but you will feel like you are already there.

I give this gem of a book five out of five stars. An excellent debut novel from Pam Jenoff!

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My mum bought the family the new Wii for Christmas, this was black (unlike the classic white version) and its only new feature was that it contained one of the new Wii remote plus controller, which contains motion plus.

As the box only contained one controller and we are a family of five this was an issue. These controllers can set you back £40 as they are relatively new. As we can't afford to splash this kind of money out on an accessory we put up with one remote for a while. However my dad decided to treat us to a new controller recently with his nectar points. He unfortunately bought an unofficial Wii controller not created by Nintendo.

Don't get me wrong, it still works on the Wii but it is not as good. My dad was really disappointed when he found this out. So as a quick warning to you all, when you are buying a controller if it says 'controller for Wii' and not 'Nintendo Wii controller' then it is probably unofficial (although I bet no one is as concerned about this as my family is).

However as I have two different controllers I thought a comparison would be in order:

COST:

As I stated earlier, the Nintendo motion plus controller will most likely set you back around £40 however I believe you can buy non official controllers for just under £15. However, if you do have the extra money I would recommend getting the real deal as in my opinion they are worth the extra pennies because they are that much better and more sensitive (with the motion plus).

STARS FOR COST:NINTENDO MOTION PLUS: 2 out of 5UNNOFICIAL CONTROLLER: 4 out of 5

APPERANCE:

In my opinion the new motion plus Nintendo controllers do not look that different to the old Wii remotes except for the fact that written on the bottom of the controller (in white on my black remote, although I'm guessing that it would be in black font on the white remote) in a semi-circle are the words 'motion plus inside'.

The Unofficial Wii looks rather different. The best way I can describe it is to say that it looks cheaper. I know this sounds rather snobbish but it is true. Whereas the Nintendo controller has a sleek design (with its curved edges) and a glossy finish to it, our unofficial controller is rather matte black with a rectangular body (no curved edges).

Also, our Motion plus (Nintendo) remote came with a rubber jacket to put over it. This rubber jacket has gripping on it making it harder for the controller to slip out of the hand. This may sound like a silly thing but when you have to fling your wrist about you need the extra gripping to hold on. I am sure you have guessed that the unofficial controller did not come with such a luxury item as a jacket attached. This would not be an issue except for the fact that the controller has slipped out of my hand before when I was trying to cut vegetables (this is a mini-challenge on Wii party where you are racing to see who finishes chopping their carrot first). As you can guess this was rather annoying as this meant I lost the game.

With all Nintendo Wii controllers you get the safety strap included. This was not true of the unofficial controller, so my dad had to purchase these straps separately (straps are not essential for play, just safer as if the remote does slip out your hand, like it did for me, it can't go flying into anything!)

STARS FOR APPEARANCE:NINTENDO MOTION PLUS: 5 out of 5UNNOFICIAL CONTROLLER: 1 out of 5

PERFORMANCE:

With the motion plus controller your moves are noticed more by the sensor and so you do not have to do much for the Wii to register what you did. This is totally different for the unofficial controller where you very much have to exaggerate your moves.

The performance time (how long the batteries last) for the Wii motion plus lasts around 60 hours (rough estimation, and this may vary for different game play or batteries used) and the unofficial one lasted around 40 hours (again this may differ for different branded makes of the controller).

The Wii Remote Plus controller combines the intuitive motion controls of the original Wii Remote with the precision technology of the Wii MotionPlus accessory, all built-in to a single unit. The Wii Remote Plus also packs a speaker, rumble feature, and external connector for other input devices, like the Nunchuk controller and the Classic Controller.

COLOURS:

This remote comes in four separate colours: Black, White, Pink and Blue.The pink and blues are very light and can be described as baby pink (perfect for girly girls) and sky blue. If you have noticed on the adverts for Nintendo Wii they have given the young girl a pink remote and the boy the blue one. This is clever marketing by the Nintendo Company as most children will want a different coloured Wii remote to their parents/siblings. However, as far as I'm concerned the blue and pink are not the nicest of colours and Id stick to the black controller as it looks sleek and classy.

The original Wii remote had the option of being motion plus with an add on that you would slot into the hole where you connect other input devices. However, after using one with this added motion plus feature, I would recommend forking out the extra pennies for the new remote. My reasoning for this is that this add on makes the original controller kind of heavy and also longer.

I hope from my comparison above you can see that I would definitely recommend buying the Wii motion plus controller as it is so much better than the fake controllers and with technology constantly changing, soon the price will be nicer. Take it from someone who has experience with a bad controller, it's better to spend the extra pennies for quality rather than save money on second-rate goods.

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I was introduced to Batiste while at Secondary school by a friend who was very conscious of her appearance. When I heard the name 'dry shampoo' I almost laughed in her face. I honestly thought this was an impossible concept, however after hearing all the hype from other girls, I decided to give this a try. I was not disappointed! This is a review on the 'Blush' version of this product.

WHAT IS BATISTE?:

Batiste dry shampoo helps to restore 'greasy, dull and lifeless hair' back to normality. The blush version is described by Batiste as being: The essence of femininity, Blush is the floral, flirty way to turn heads. A few quick sprays instantly makes your hair feel clean, fresh and full of body and texture. (Taken from www.batistehair.co.uk/products/product/dry-shampoo/blush).

The Blush version has a light floral scent to it, which is quite feminine and therefore much better than the original Batiste which had a slight chemical smell to it.

HOW DOES IT WORK?:

I can highly recommend this dry shampoo, because I have never had a real problem using it. That said, on the first time I sprayed too much and found it difficult to rub in the shampoo which forms in a greyish colour on your hair, brushing it helped get rid of this. From looking at the product I can only assume that this works a lot like talc powder and absorbs the grease from your hair.

Using the product couldn't be simpler, you simply hold the spray roughly 30cm (what they advise) from your hair and spray where needed. Leave in for a minute or two then brush out either with your comb/brush or your fingers.

OTHER VERSIONS INCLUDE:

OriginalBohoTropicalDivaFreshBritSilver ShimmerGold shimmer

The very fact that Batiste Blush comes in travel size cans (which not every toiletry product can boast) is something that shows me how good the product is (or at least how popular they are). Last year I went to Krakow (Poland) for four days and as my schedule was packed full of sightseeing I decided to buy a travel sized Batiste. This was a wise investment as on the third day I needed to wash my hair but being low on time (and not wanting to have to blow-dry and straighten my hair) I decided to Batiste it instead, which like the previous times I had used it, bringing it back to normality. This is definitely a product I myself will bring on every holiday and recommend for others to do so also. I got the Travel sized can in a promotion with Asda which was three miniatures for £5 (I believe I also got a dove a mini body wash and Treseme shampoo in this deal).

WHERE TO FIND?:

Batiste has become a widely recognised brand and so can be found quite easily in supermarkets and drugstores (I.E. Boots and Superdrug) all over the country. The bottles distinct appearance, with their green capped lids and funky designs (each brand having a personal design, bliss is pink with Hawaiian flowers on) will be hard to miss once you know what you are looking for.

The price I paid for my Batiste Blush dry shampoo was £1. However I was lucky as this was on special offer in Superdrug. Normal retail price would be around £2, which is worth the price as the cans last quite a long time depending on how often use them and how much you spray each time. I have managed to make one can last nearly a year and it would have lasted longer if I had not sprayed a lot on my hair for Halloween (I was a zombie and wanted greyish hair which this product was perfect for- added bonus for university students wanting to dress up). I would definitely always check Superdrug for any special offers they may have on this product.

WOULD I RECOMMEND?:

I would definitely recommend Batiste Blush dry shampoo to anyone who wants to boost the vibrancy of their hair in between washes. This product most definitely works and can be a lifesaver when you don't have enough time for the wash your hair deserves before going out. However this product is only intended to be used between washes to boost hairs vibrancy and not to be used instead of your usual shampoo routine.

I will give Batiste Blush dry shampoo the maximum five out of five stars as I have never had a complaint with Blush. This shampoo has been a god send at Uni when I have just enough time before lectures to dress and grab a quick bite to eat.

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My hair is naturally wavy which is annoying because as far as I know wavy hair has never been in fashion. People either want straight or curly hair. I have neither. However with wavy hair, I can have both. With my Phillips straighteners my hair looks smooth, sleek and straight. I had heard you can create curls with straighteners too and watched you tube videos telling me how. Unfortunately I never really grasped the technique and so thought I would treat myself to a Curling iron instead.

I purchased the Babyliss Pro rebel curling wand as Babyliss was a name I could very much trust (based on my experience with their crimping irons when that look was in fashion... thank god it isn't anymore!) and because of reviews I had read about it (which were generally all positive). I even liked the name and find that the product being called a curling wand is very appropriate as it worked magic for me (sorry, too cheesy I know I just couldn't resist!) as my hair looked as if it was naturally curly and healthy.

There are two different versions from which you can buy. There is the slim barrel which is between 13-25mm and there is the wider one which is 19-32mm. I use the wider one, mostly because it creates bigger and more natural looking curls and also because I have relatively thick hair. The smaller barrel would be better for finer hair types I would presume.

It is really easy to control the heat settings on it, you just need to know what your hair types is and then you can set it to what temperature is suitable for your hair. It has 25 heat settings for different hair types, I have relatively thick hair so I put it on 7-9 on the temperature scale but it does go up to 25.

What is brilliant about this curling wand is that it comes with a heat proof mat (something that my straighteners cannot boast). The only downside of this product would be that it is very easy to burn yourself, however the Babyliss company have tried to combat this with the inclusion of strange looking gloves that you use for one thumb and finger to protect your hands from the heat as you have to get extremely close to the iron and can easily burn yourself without wearing them.

I think this curling wand is easy to use after a little practice. After ages trying to curl my hair using straighteners, (which apparently can be done but obviously not by me) I am very glad I treated myself to this magical curling wand. For best results I would recommend platting your hair (if you are able to) straight after you have washed it, once fully dry release the hair (which should now be relatively curly) and grasp small sections to curl with the wand. This creates more natural looking hair and is quicker than curling the whole head of hair.

I bought this curling wand for £40, however the price can vary from £25 - £60 depending on where you purchase it. In my opinion £60 is a lot but the wand is worth it as the curls look natural and it is easy to use.

Overall, I would recommend this product to all females who like a change from straight hair. Simple and easy to use, if I can cope with this then so can anyone! I will give this 4 out of five stars.